Sodexo Launches Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action that Addresses Ending Violence Against Women

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, has launched a three-year Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment called Girls, Women, and the Global Goals: Workplace Strategies to End Violence Against Women. This project, announced on September 20, will promote awareness and training for gender-based violence issues, as well as create jobs and opportunities for victims of gender-based violence. Sodexo makes this commitment as part of a group convened by No Ceilings, Vital Voices, and WEConnect International to advance the gender equality targets under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Elsa Palanza, Director of Commitments at the Clinton Global Initiative, said: "We are excited that CGI member Sodexo is announcing this new Commitment to Action, which will bring together local and international actors to address gender-based violence. This commitment exemplifies the innovative CGI model and legacy at work -- bringing together partners from across sectors who are committed to doing well by doing good and improving lives around the world."  

By August of 2019, Sodexo aims to directly reach 105,000 employees by raising awareness for gender-based violence as a workplace concern for all employees, providing in-depth gender-based violence training, and offering economic opportunity and support to victims of gender-based violence and their families. Sodexo will also create local coalitions with other businesses to create a larger and scalable impact for communities in India and Latin America, including Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.  

"Gender-based violence has been recognized as both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality with no geographical boundaries," said Dr. Rohini Anand, senior vice president and global chief diversity officer, Sodexo. "A study in India found that 52 percent of women aged 18 to 49 have reported experiencing some form of violence in their lifetime. In Brazil, 92,000 women have been killed inside their own homes in the last three decades."

The project will begin with an internal Women's Day campaign, distributing toolkits to establish an awareness campaign in each country. Sodexo will expand its training on Violence Against Women, and in Brazil will broaden its employee assistance program Sodexo Supports Me, available to employees and their families through a free hotline that focuses on relationship issues, physical or emotional difficulties, loss, and more. Sodexo will hold job fairs and trainings, connecting victims of gender-based violence to job opportunities within the company and externally. It will also create local coalitions with public and private organization partners that can share best practices and collaborate on workplace strategies to address violence against women.

The project builds on Sodexo's 2014 Commitment to Action to create economic opportunity by sourcing $1 billion from women entrepreneurs and other small enterprises and is part of a holistic approach to promoting gender equality in business.

Sodexo delivers more than 100 services across North America that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life. The Fortune Global 500 company is a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations.

Learn more about Sodexo at its corporate blog, Sodexo Insights.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together 190 sitting and former heads of state, more than 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 3,600 Commitments to Action, which have improved the lives of over 435 million people in more than 180 countries. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

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